UPDATE: Woman remains critical after night in drain

I have worked with the NewsMail since January 2012.
I report in the Family Life section of the paper, which I love as I have two school aged kids.
I grew up in Byron Bay before moving to Hervey Bay where I lived for 10 years, after that my family and I travelled around Australia then we finally settled in Bundaberg in 2011.
I enjoy meeting new people and hearing about all walks of life.

Ross Irby
Reporter
Reporter Ross Irby has wander-lust mixed with a sense of adventure, spending way too many years roaming about Australia, its back roads and off-shore foreign lands.
Enjoys a yarn, story telling and tales, along with curiosity to find out about the lives and (mis)adventures of others.
An off-beat sense of humour, not taking it all too seriously, along with big doses of flexibility/adaptability whatever the situation is the best way to go.
You have to have the life experiences to have empathy...

UPDATE MONDAY NOON: THE woman who was found in a Bundaberg storm water drain remains in hospital.

A Bundaberg Hospital spokesman said the 61 year-old woman was currently in a serious condition.
She was found about 8am Thursday by two council workers after she slipped down 2 metres and fractured her hip.
It is believed she spent the night there and was suffering hypothermia.

UPDATE FRIDAY 10AM: THE woman who was found in a drain on Bundaberg street on Thursday morning was still fighting for her life yesterday at Bundaberg Hospital.

A Queensland Health spokesman said she remained in a critical condition after spending a night on the cold concrete, suffering a broken pelvis and hypothermia.

Council workers found the woman around 8am.

THURSDAY

A 61-YEAR-old woman has spent a terrifying night stuck in a cold and wet Bundaberg drain.

The community was shocked to hear a semi-conscious woman had been found in a drain near the CBD this morning.

The woman was found by two council workers in the drain at the corner of George and Targo Sts about 8am.

The woman was drifting in and out consciousness when found by the pair and rushed to hospital a short time later.

It is unclear how long or why she was in the storm water drain but emergency service crews believed she was there overnight.

A crime scene was set up as emergency workers assessed the woman and the scene.

Two detectives and four uniformed police investigated the area, photographing a bag and a pair of shoes around the drain.

Bundaberg police said the woman had been there for some time and it was likely she slipped down the embankment the day before.

The temperature dropped to 15 degrees overnight and the woman was not able to seek shelter because of the injuries she sustained in the 2m fall.

Queensland Ambulance Services senior operations supervisor Martin Kelly said laying on cold concrete for a period of time was a dangerous situation.

"Laying somewhere like that particularly in cold weather there is a high chance of going into cardiac arrest," he said. "And when someone is found like that it's not a simple matter of lifting them up."

He said it was likely the woman was there over night.

It is believed she was not homeless and lives has a residences here in Bundaberg.

Passers-by witnessed emergency services rushing to the scene.

"It was hectic, cops and ambos everywhere," a woman commented on Facebook.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the woman was suffering complications from hypothermia and other injuries including a broken pelvis.

Mr Kelly said the drain was a difficult environment for paramedics to work in and they worked fast to assess the woman.

"It's a messy and dirty situation," he said.

It is unsure if the woman had a previous medical condition as she was not wearing a medi-bracelet.

"If there is a known condition it's important to carry it on you at all times to assist emergency workers," he said.

At 3pm yesterday she remained in a critical condition at the Bundaberg Hospital and there were no plans in place to transfer her to Brisbane.

UPDATE: A woman in her 60s who was found in a drain in Bundaberg this morning remains in a critical condition in the emergency ward at Bundaberg Hospital.

A Queensland Health spokesman said she was suffering complications from hypothermia and other injuries including a broken leg.

The woman was drifting in and out consciousness when found by two council workers about 8am.

It is unclear how long or why she was in the storm water drain.

Queensland Ambulance Services senior operations supervisor Martin Kelly said laying on cold concrete for a period of time was a dangerous situation.

"Laying somewhere like that particularly in cold weather there is a high chance of going into cardiac arrest," he said.

"And when someone is found like that it's not a simple matter of lifting them up."

He said it was likely the woman was there over night.

It is believed she was not homeless and has a residence here in Bundaberg.

Mr Kelly said it was a difficult environment for paramedics to work in.

"It's a messy and dirty situation," he said.

It is unsure if the woman had a previous medical condition as she was not wearing a medi-bracelet.

"If there is a known condition it's important to carry it on you at all times to assist emergency workers," he said.